“Let me get it straight. You are telling us a beam of gamma rays is on its way to the Earth and will reach us in less than a hundred years”, the retired man asked.
“Yes, you got that right”, Susheela replied.
“And when it strikes the Earth, all living beings will be destroyed”
“Correct”
“It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie to me”, the man chuckled.
“It’s up to you to believe it. But we have evidence to back it up”
“What does it have to do with us?”, Deepti spoke for the first time. The three others gazed at Susheela since everyone had this question in their minds.
“It is necessary that I tell you about our defense and survival plans in order to answer that question”, Susheela said.
“Yes, please go ahead. Anyways you have wasted two hours of my time. So you might as well waste a few more”, the man said.

Susheela skipped a few slides and stopped at a slide with the image of a nuclear power plant.
“The Earth is already constantly receiving a tiny amount of gamma rays from the sun and other interstellar sources. The Ozone layer filters them out before they even make it to the atmosphere below. But the gamma-ray we are talking about is much more powerful. It will interact with the nitrogen molecules in our atmosphere. Then the nitrogen molecules will break apart the ozone and form nitrogen dioxide. Basically, the entire ozone layer will be destroyed immediately. Research suggests that such a gamma-ray burst already triggered a mass extinction event 450 million years ago.
“We are already handling such high doses of radiation in nuclear power plants. Radiation shielding is done using thick blocks of concrete or lead. Sometimes a thick layer of water is also used. As long as there is a dense enough barrier, radiation can be blocked, or at least reduced to safer levels. Our current plan is to build an underground shield for people to live in for a few years after the strike. But our estimates say that the shield will be able to contain about 50 million people. We can stretch it to 1 billion with technological advancement in the next few decades. UN projections say that the population of Earth will be close to 10.9 Billion by the next century. We will not be able to accommodate such a large number of people in the underground shield. Research on portable shields made of safe materials needs to be started so that people can start shielding their own homes. We also need to work on food and oxygen supply. The gamma-ray will strip most of the oxygen on Earth and plant life will be destroyed immediately. Herbivores will starve to death followed by carnivores. The remaining living species will suffocate to death. We call such an event an extinction-level event. Research and development in the fields mentioned need to start immediately, and you are our first group of recruits for the project”

The four visitors glanced at each other. Their minds couldn’t process what was going on. They were being told the world was going to end. There was a century of time so none of them would be alive by then. But they needed to worry about their children. They were now being recruited to save the planet from extinction. All this took place in less than two hours. Nobody outside the room was even aware of the danger Earth was going to encounter. Could they trust this woman who spoke so calmly as if nothing had happened? In the room were also some of India's most renowned scientists. Things were happening so fast that it seemed like the script of a movie.
“Professor Jayanth Shukla”, Susheela said pointing at the retired man, “had developed a device that can produce oxygen from nitrogen dioxide during his Ph.D.”
“That device could barely produce any oxygen”, the retired man Jayanth replied.
“I agree the yield was low and that’s why it didn’t attract any eyes. But we have a century of time and after the gamma-ray strike, there will be an abundance of nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere. This is your chance to save humanity”, Susheela said.
Jayanth stared at her without a response.
“Ms. Deeksha Shenoy”, she said pointing at the woman in her late 20s, “is a researcher at the Indian Institute of Science. She is developing a high-density polymer that is three times denser than lead and can be applied onto surfaces like paint”
“The results are not great and we are about to end the project due to lack of funding and interest”, Deeksha replied.
“You will be provided with unlimited amounts of both”, Susheela said. She continued without waiting for her reply, “Mr. Ansh Aggarwal is a high school student studying electronics. He is exceptionally intelligent for his age. His nano GPS tracker has helped the police catch the escaped criminal Abdul Khan”
The surprised look on Ansh’s face was surpassed by Deepti’s.
“Abdul was caught?”, Deepti asked.
“Yes. The news was broadcasted an hour ago. It was a smart move by inspector Sanjay Singh. When Abdul was released, a police officer hit his forehead and knocked him unconscious for what was framed as an attack. Before suturing the cut on his forehead, Ansh’s nano GPS module was inserted inside”
Deepti felt relieved as if her chest got lighter. But her previous question still remained unanswered.
“What is the reason behind recruiting me? I am no scientist or engineer. I can barely understand the complicated science terms you have been using”, she asked.
“Right. So Ms. Deepti Roy”, Susheela said, “is a flight attendant at Asterisk Airlines. She was onboard the flight that was hijacked two weeks ago”
The sounds of key presses and mouse clicks immediately ceased. Everyone in the meeting room finally lifted their heads off their laptops and looked at Deepti.
“She had shown courage by trying to snatch a knife from one of the hijackers when a child was being held hostage. Moreover, she devised a plan for causing everyone to become hypoxic so that the hijackers' weapons could be taken from them. All this when she was suffering from pain from the knife stabbing by one of the hijackers”, Susheela’s voice was now much louder in the silent hall.
“Ms. Deepti will be a part of the advisory board for the project. She not only understands people’s emotional responses to a situation, but she has also proven that she can take good decisions under pressure. Her psychological understanding of people is also proven thanks to her experience as a flight attendant for three years”
Deepti didn’t know what to answer. She was now more confused about the reason behind her being there. But why me? She thought. There were thousands of psychologists and other people who were much more qualified than her for the job. Every scientist in the room was much better suited for the position. She was a flight attendant with a mere three years of experience. She felt like she was missing something, but before she could say anything, Susheela started speaking again.
“Now I know you have questions and opinions. Some of you need time to make your decision. But it is better for each of you to have a discussion with the team of your respective projects.
“Professor Jayanth and Ms. Deeksha will accompany Dr. Ram Gopal and Dr. Shiv Prasad. Ansh will accompany Dr. Vandana Joshi. And Ms. Deepti, you are coming with me. I’d suggest we all break up into separate conference rooms to discuss our teams separately before making any decisions. We appreciate your cooperation”

“Are you kidding me?”, Jayanth stood up and yelled. “How can you just take us here and there without asking for our opinion? I’ve been patient all this time, but let me be clear now. I am not interested in your so-called gamma-ray shield project. I have missed three classes already. My students were not even informed about my absence. I am leaving right now! Thanks for wasting my three hours”
“Professor”, Susheela said, looking down and adjusting her glasses. “Do you care about your students?”
“Of course I do”
“What’s the point in preparing them for the future if they won’t have a future at all?”
“I don’t believe in your gamma-ray story”
“Please give us only a few more minutes of your time. Dr. Ram and Dr. Shiv will give you the proof you want” Then looking at Ram, Susheela continued, “Dr. Ram”
Ram nodded. “Professor, this way please”, he said.

Jayanth reluctantly followed him. Everyone eventually left with their project mates until only Deepti and Susheela were left in the room.

“I know you have questions, Ms. Deepti. Please don’t hesitate”, Susheela said. A smile appeared on her face for the first time since Deepti met her.
“Why me? There are so many other people who are much more qualified than I am”
“What do you think?”, Susheela asked.
“I think there’s something you haven’t told us yet”
“You are smart”, Susheela said and sat on the chair opposite Deepti. “Why did you try to save those people on the plane? You knew the government would have to comply with the hijackers’ demands”
“I couldn’t let any harm come to such a young child. They held her hostage. She was so young. They threatened another kid with a knife. The passengers didn’t deserve any of that. They were innocent.”
“Why did you want to reduce the cabin pressure? It would affect the passengers too. And you were bleeding with pain. Do you think you could handle them alone?”
“There was no other option. They had a bomb on the plane. If I tried to do anything when they were conscious, they would have…”
“There was no bomb”, Susheela said.
“What? But they told us…”
“The knives were the only weapons they smuggled into the plane. They lied about the bomb”
Deepti was silent. She stared at the blank sheets of paper on the table. How did I even think about putting so many passengers’ lives at risk? She thought.
“Ms. Deepti”, Susheela broke the silence, “Now it’s time to discuss your role in the project. Everything I mentioned earlier was just plan B. You are going to be a part of Plan A”
“What’s that?”, Deepti asked, surprised.
“We might shield every house on the planet and build an even stronger shield underground. But there is little chance that humanity will survive more than a year even with all that. The surface of the Earth will remain radioactive for decades and oxygen will be completely stripped off. Plants will be dead and there would be no food. And the depleted ozone layer will let all cosmic rays directly into the atmosphere. Earth will no longer remain habitable. Of course, over the next hundred years, technology might advance enough to support life on Earth without dependence on its resources. But we can’t risk it and let humanity go extinct in case we don’t make it. Another concern is the black hole’s orientation. One of the poles of the black hole’s magnetic field is directly oriented toward the solar system. If there’s another gamma-ray burst in the future, it will be headed for us again. If the second gamma-ray burst occurs before humans have fully recovered from the first one, we are certain that life on earth will go extinct. That’s why we have devised Plan A”
The seriousness returned to Susheela’s face. She stood up and continued, “Over the next two months, ISRO will send three exploratory probes to three potentially habitable planets. Gliese 667Cc, Proxima Centauri b, and Trappist-1e. NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, and CNSA are sending their own probes too. By the next thirty years, we will have enough information to determine whether any of these planets are capable of supporting life. Next month, we will begin the construction of an interstellar spaceship that will carry four thousand people from India to the new planet. We expect the ship to begin its journey fifty years from now. The selection procedure for the interstellar travelers will be briefed later.
“The only problem we are facing is hibernation. The ship may take more than half a century to reach the target planet. Of course, this duration depends on the distance of the planet from the Earth. Currently, we do not have the technology to artificially hibernate a human. We have already begun research and development on the tech. Ansh Aggarwal will be a part of the R&D team too. But we are not certain if the technology will be developed by the time the ship takes off. That’s why we have a backup plan. A group of people will have to stay awake the entire time on the ship. We have named them Celestians. They will live their lives onboard the ship as they would live on Earth. They will be provided with an Earth-like ecosystem inside the ship and every right and law that is applied to them on Earth will be valid on the ship. They will have the freedom to choose a place on the ship to live in. They will get an education, get married, and have children too. It is their children who will make it to the new planet. In addition to psychologists onboard, every effort will be made to ensure life on the ship is as normal as it would be on Earth.
“You know the problem with choosing Celestians? It’s easy to volunteer for something like this, but the real psychological trauma will begin once they start living that life. When you know you are going to live your entire life on a spaceship, it is not easy to have a purposeful life. That’s why Celestians need to be selfless. They need to understand that they are going to give their lives for humanity to continue living. They need to be determined and not let their emotions cloud their judgment. Ms. Deepti, by now it should not be a surprise to you. You are our first recruit as a Celestian”

Deepti’s mind couldn’t process all the information. She felt like she was trapped inside a fantasy novel. It was as if when she looked back, she could see her past, but when she looked ahead, it was dark. There was no future for the residents of this planet. She remembered how she cried all night before she left her mother and sister to go to flight attendant training. Now she was being told to leave Earth and everyone on it. When someone is ready to give their life for others they should be rewarded. But she felt like she was being punished for being kind and caring. The world was unfair to her. First, her father left her, then her mother. Her sister left when she got married. She had nobody in the world who would care about her. At this moment, she wanted someone to hold her hand and say, I’m with you. But she was on her own. She felt cold and numb. She could barely move her body. Her eyes produced tears but she didn’t let them seep out. She closed her eyes for a minute and took it all in. Alone.

“Can you turn down the AC please?”, she whispered with her eyes still closed.
Susheela lifted the air conditioner remote and increased the temperature.
Deepti opened her eyes. She could feel her chest expanding and contracting, and warm air gushing out of her nose. She covered the goosebumps on her left arm with the palm of her right hand. “What if I don’t want to do this?”, she asked.
“You have the right to reject the position. But before you make your decision, I want to show you something”

Susheela took her to the cafeteria. The two sat on one of the tables and shared a coffee. There were lots of other scientists and engineers in there too, but the tables were spaced far apart.
"Hello Susheela, new intern I suppose", a man with a white coat asked as he walked by their table.
"Yes", Susheela replied with a smile.
“That was Jayesh”, Susheela said, taking a sip from her cup. “He has a two-year-old son who is autistic”
“I’m so sorry to hear that”
“And that is Anjali. Her daughter wants to be a pilot like you wanted to”
Deepti was surprised. “How did you know I wanted to become a pilot?”, she asked.
Susheela smiled. “Over there, he is Dr. Nikhil Kumar. He was my mentor when I joined here. His daughter got married two years ago. The couple is not able to have a baby. They are considering adoption”
Deepti looked at Dr. Nikhil with a sad face.
“You are 21, Ms. Deepti. I’m sure you plan to get married soon”
I don’t want to get married. Enough people have hurt me, I can’t take any more. She thought but didn’t say anything.
Susheela continued, “Most people here are married and have children. Think about their future. Think about your kid’s future. Do you want them to live a life with no purpose? Your sister has a baby, right? How would you look into his eyes the next time when you realize you could save his future, but didn’t? You were ready to give your life to save 156 passengers. This time the plane has 7.8 billion. You have the chance to prevent everyone’s dreams from being destroyed by a radioactive missile from space”
Deepti didn’t reply. Susheela’s cup was half empty, but Deepti’s was still full. She looked at all the happy people around her. Most didn’t know how dark their future was.
“You wanted to go to the stars and meet your father”, Susheela said, “This is your chance”
That final sentence took away all her numbness. Deepti’s eyes instantly turned to Susheela’s. Susheela’s deep pink lips produced another smile. Deepti’s lips had no lipstick on them. The dry lips craved some moisture.
“You can take your time to make your decision”
“How do you know all that about me?”
“Have your coffee, it’s getting cold”, Susheela said with a wider smile.

Continued in chapter 5...


© arpan